epubdos : Afghanistan
SCA MORNING PRESS CLIPS
Prepared for the U.S. Department of State
Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs
TO:
SCA & Staff
DATE:
Tuesday, April 23, 2024 6:30 AM ET

Afghanistan
Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund: 10 Years on the Front lines (OCHA)
OCHA [4/22/2024 4:14 PM, Aria Abawi, 29.9K, Neutral]
Over the past decade, the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund has emerged as a lifeline for countless people amid the country’s ongoing challenges.

Strategic and Reliable: Ten Years of Humanitarian Funding in Afghanistan

Launched in 2014, the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund (AHF) has become one of OCHA’s leading initiatives, exceeding an incredible US$1 billion milestone by 2024.

Through targeted support, the fund is now a beacon of hope for people grappling with the aftermath of conflict, natural disasters and displacement. In the past decade, the AHF has supported more local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and women-led organizations to empower and enable the country’s most-affected communities. Afghan women now face harsh restrictions that limit their participation in public life, including in humanitarian efforts.

Sustaining Hope: Food Assistance as a Pillar of Perseverance

Afghanistan has suffered from persistent conflict, underdevelopment, poverty and, more recently, COVID-19. This led to yet another crisis: hunger.

An Integrated Food Security Phase Classification analysis from April 2021 revealed that over 14 million people – more than a third of the population – faced acute food insecurity, prompting urgent action. In early 2021, the most vulnerable households received nutrition-sensitive food packages. The AHF funded food security and agriculture projects for 1.2 million people across the country.

Notably, children as young as this 11-year-old girl help to collect their family’s food rations at a World Food Programme (WFP) distribution point in Kandahar Province. Each provision offers sustenance, but also compassion, humanity and resilience.

A Safe Haven: Salma’s Day at a Child-Friendly Space

Created by War Child UK and funded by the AHF, this child-friendly space in Herat Province is a haven of hope for 10-year-old Salma. This refuge is not just a place to practice handwriting, but a place for Salma to learn, play and embrace childhood under the loving care of community facilitators and peers.

Tailored for girls like Salma, child-friendly spaces shield against exploitation in conflict zones and provide a safe and protective environment in which children exposed to trauma can receive psychosocial support and counselling, leaving a lasting positive impact on the mental well-being of thousands of communities.

Over the past decade, the AHF has funded dozens of such sanctuaries across Afghanistan.

Sakena Yacoobi Hospital: Health Care for Women by Women

Sakena Yacoobi Hospital in Herat Province is testament to the resilience and empowerment of Afghan women, despite the challenges they face.

Staffed entirely by women, this sanctuary provides essential health-care services tailored to the unique needs of women and children. From antenatal care to mental health services, the hospital, funded by AHF and the World Health Organization (WHO), is a lifeline for between 5,000 and 6,000 patients each month.

Dr. Homa Niksiar, the hospital’s Director, embodies the spirit of compassionate care, earning the community’s trust and gratitude through her unwavering commitment to quality health care.

Addressing Water Scarcity: Transforming Health and Hygiene

In the face of persistent droughts and water scarcity, AHF-funded projects implemented by World Vision International have brought tangible relief to communities in provinces such as Badghis and Herat. By establishing solar-powered water systems and rehabilitating infrastructure, these initiatives have addressed immediate hydration needs but also promoted better hygiene practices, reducing waterborne diseases.

In a region where water scarcity looms large, the AHF’s efforts offer hope and tangible progress, fostering resilience and paving the way for a healthier Afghanistan.

Accessible Aid: Female Humanitarian Workers at the Forefront

In Afghanistan, the role of female aid workers in humanitarian response remains critical. In Badghis Province, they manage the cash distributions to female-headed households by creating a safe and accessible space for recipients.

Among those benefiting from this critical support is 55-year-old Gul Jan, who expressed profound gratitude: “I came here today to receive my cash assistance. My grandchildren will be so happy, as I will buy them good food and clothes.”

These AHF-supported initiatives are a lifeline for vulnerable families, providing essential help and fostering empowerment in communities across Afghanistan.

Localized Aid: Strengthening Rural Health care in Afghanistan

The AHF became the first Country-Based Pooled Fund to launch a dedicated “localization allocation” of US$12.9 million in July 2023. It aims to promote local and national NGOs. AHF-supported initiatives, such as the Bakhtar Development Network’s rural clinic, bring essential medical services closer to communities in need.

Women living in remote villages have seen their access to quality health care transformed, thanks to AHF-supported efforts that prioritize the well-being of vulnerable populations.

Nawroz is one of those women. She explained: “I deeply appreciate the compassionate and professional care I received at the hospital. It’s a necessity for women and their children in rural areas.”

2024: AHF Outlook

The AHF is committed to serving Afghanistan’s most vulnerable populations, working with partners and donors. But with needs in the country now at a record high, the AHF urgently requires sustained contributions to provide proactive support to communities in need.

Efforts will continue to broaden the donor base for early and reliable funding, with advocacy led by the Humanitarian Coordinator and OCHA.
Pakistan
The leaders of Iran and Pakistan vow to boost trade in a meeting seeking to mend a diplomatic rift (AP)
AP [4/22/2024 3:19 PM, Munir Ahmed, 261K, Positive]
The leaders of Iran and Pakistan agreed to strengthen economic and security cooperation in a meeting on Monday that sought to smooth over a diplomatic rift.

Ties were strained between the neighbors in January when each carried out strikes in the other’s territory, targeting militants accused of attacking security forces.

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi met with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other officials on his three-day visit. Authorities deployed hundreds of additional police and paramilitary forces for security.

Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant violence in recent months, mostly blamed on Pakistani Taliban and insurgents targeting security forces in Pakistan and neighboring Iran.

According to a statement, the two leaders discussed a range of bilateral issues and vowed to cooperate to fight terrorism. They reiterated their condemnations of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.

Sharif praised Iran’s “strong stand on the issue of Palestine” and said “Pakistan is also with the Palestinians.”

Raisi said the killings by Israel in Gaza were being committed with the support of the United States and other Western countries. He criticized international organizations, including the United Nations, saying, “They say they support human rights, but they proved that they are inefficient.”

The visit comes after Iran’s unprecedented direct strikes on Israel and an apparent Israeli response. Pakistan is among the countries that have no diplomatic relations with Israel because of the issue of Palestinian statehood.

Raisi also vowed to boost what he called “unacceptably” meager bilateral trade with Pakistan and called for setting up more border markets. Pakistan and Iran set up the first such border market in southwestern Pakistan’s Baluchistan province last year, promising five more under a 2012 agreement.

The two leaders signed eight cooperation agreements, according to Sharif’s office.

Authorities said the two sides also discussed a multi-billion gas pipeline project, on hold since 2014. The project — opposed by Washington as a violation of sanctions imposed on Tehran over its nuclear program — launched in 2013 to supply Iranian natural gas to energy-starved Pakistan.

Iran says it had already completed the pipeline on its side of the border after investing $2 billion. Pakistan was supposed to finish construction on its territory by the end of 2014 but work stalled, leading to tensions between the nations.

The Iranian president later met with his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari, who helped launch the pipeline project after traveling to Iran in 2013.

On Monday night, Pakistan’s powerful army chief Gen. Asim Munir met with the Iranian president, the military said in a statement. It said their discussion focused on “matters of mutual interest, notably regional peace, stability and border security.”

The statement said Munir described the Pakistan-Iran border as “the border of peace and friendship” but emphasized the need for improved coordination there “to prevent terrorists from jeopardizing the longstanding brotherly relations.”

It quoted Raisi as saying that by fostering cooperation between the militaries, Iran and Pakistan “can attain peace and stability for both nations and the region.”

Raisi also met with Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. The two discussed regional and global developments and “affirmed commitment to peace and constructive dialogue for resolving regional challenges.”

Raisi is accompanied by his spouse and a high-level delegation. He plans to visit Karachi, Pakistan’s biggest city, and Lahore, where he will meet with the country’s recently elected first female chief minister, Maryam Nawaz Sharif.
Pakistan PM Sharif lauds Iran for ‘strong stand’ on Gaza (Reuters)
Reuters [4/22/2024 6:20 AM, Gibran Peshimam, 5239K, Positive]
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif lauded Iran on Monday for taking a strong stand on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities there.

Addressing a joint press talk alongside visiting Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Islamabad, Sharif called on Muslim countries to unite and raise their voice for an end to the conflict.
Iran, Pakistan Hold First Talks Since Cross-Border Strikes (Radio Free Europe)
Radio Free Europe [4/22/2024 6:10 AM, Staff, 223K, Negative]
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi held talks with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on April 22 in Islamabad in their first meeting since their countries exchanged missile strikes in February.

Raisi’s three-day trip to neighboring Pakistan is part of efforts by both countries to mend relations that were strained earlier this year.

Iran and Pakistan share a porous 900-kilometer border where separatists opposed to the governments in Tehran and Pakistan operate.

In February, Iran struck what it described as bases used by Iranian Baluch separatists in Pakistan. Islamabad responded by targeting locations in Iran it said were used by Pakistani Baluch separatists.

The Iranian president was greeted at the airport by Housing Minister Riaz Hussain Pirzada before receiving a formal welcome from Sharif.

Authorities have deployed hundreds of additional police and paramilitary forces to ensure security during the visit as Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant violence.

According to a statement released by the premier’s office, Sharif and Raisi discussed a range of issues to promote bilateral relations and cooperation in various fields and vowed to cooperate to fight terrorism.

They are also expected to hold a joint news conference later on April 22.

Iran’s official news agency IRNA said eight cooperation documents will be signed during Raisi’s visit.

The two sides will also discuss a multibillion gas pipeline project, which has been on hold since 2014. The project -- opposed by Washington for what it says is a violation of sanctions imposed on Tehran over its nuclear program -- was launched in 2013 to supply much-needed Iranian natural gas to energy-starved Pakistan.

Raisi is accompanied by his wife and a high-level delegation. He plans to visit Karachi, the country’s biggest city, and Lahore, where he will meet with the Pakistan’s recently elected first female chief minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif.

Raisi will travel to Sri Lanka after wrapping up his Pakistan visit.
Why is Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi visiting Pakistan? (Al Jazeera)
Al Jazeera [4/22/2024 6:44 AM, Sarah Shamim, 2060K, Neutral]
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is in Pakistan on a three-day trip to discuss regional and bilateral relations days after Iran and Israel carried out attacks against each other, risking the Gaza war to expand into a regional conflict.

Raisi is scheduled to hold talks with top Pakistani leadership, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, as the two neighbours seek to mend ties after tit-for-tat missile attacks in January.

Local media reported that Raisi will also meet General Asim Munir, the head of Pakistan’s military, which wields huge political and economic influence in the South Asian nation.
What’s the agenda of the trip?

Raisi arrived in the capital, Islamabad, on Monday as the two neighbours aim to boost economic, border and energy ties.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran, in line with the neighbourhood policy … is interested in promoting relations with Pakistan and during this trip, various issues including economic and commercial issues, energy and border issues will be discussed with the government of Pakistan,” a statement by the Iranian presidential office said on Monday.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called for improving bilateral ties.

“The two sides will have a wide-ranging agenda to further strengthen Pakistan-Iran ties and enhance cooperation in diverse fields including trade, connectivity, energy, agriculture, and people-to-people contacts,” the statement said.

The Iranian president will visit major cities, including Lahore and Karachi, and focus on bilateral and trade ties, it said.

Mosharraf Zaidi, a partner at advisory services firm Tabadlab and former adviser to the Foreign Ministry, told Al Jazeera in a written statement that Raisi’s trip is “an effort to secure an expression of support from Islamabad and Rawalpindi [military leadership] for Iran – as it stumbles deeper into a dangerous conflict with Israel”.

Zaidi added that Iran’s strategic thinkers are aware that Pakistan has both a domestic political crisis and a growing range of economic compulsions that limit the range of movement on Pakistan’s engagement in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

What’s the status of Iran-Pakistan ties?

Iran and Pakistan have a history of a troubled relationship, with both accusing each other of failing to rein in armed groups.

The border tensions escalated in January when Iran carried out air attacks across the border in Pakistan killing two children. The Iranian state media said the attack was targeting two bases of the armed group Jaish al-Adl. Pakistan retaliated by firing a missile into Iranian territory and recalling its ambassador from Tehran.

But the two neighbours decided to de-escalate tensions, with Tehran rushing its top diplomat to Islamabad to mend ties. The two countries agreed to confront the “menace of terrorism” together, especially in the border region. Before Raisi’s visit, Tehran and Islamabad talked about combating “terrorism”.

“At that time, Pakistan had a caretaker government in place. So what Iranians had indicated was that after the new government comes in, there could be a visit to repair the relationship and rebuild confidence,” Muhammad Faisal, a PhD Scholar at the University of Technology Sydney who specialises in Pakistan’s foreign policy, said.

Why is the Pakistan-Iran relationship vital?

Foreign policy analysts in Pakistan have backed re-engagement with Iran despite the border tensions.

“Pakistan has troubled borders with India as well as with Afghanistan. And therefore, to have a normal, stable relationship with Iran has been of utmost importance for Pakistan, and it remains so,” veteran Pakistani diplomat Maleeha Lodhi told Al Jazeera in the wake of the January border tensions.

Islamabad and Tehran have been aiming to boost bilateral trade, which currently stands at more than $2bn.

Faisal told Al Jazeera that there is a sizable informal trade between the two countries, including liquified petroleum gas (LPG) and crude oil. He added that Iran also provides electricity to Balochistan province and other border areas in Pakistan.

In May 2023, Sharif and Raisi inaugurated the first border market at the Mand-Pishin border crossing.

Moreover, the two neighbours have close cultural and religious ties, with tens of thousands of Shia minority people from Pakistan going to Iran every year on pilgrimage.

However, Tabadlab’s Zaidi said common cultural bonds and a long border – 900km (559 miles) – have not translated into people-to-people exchanges and deep trade ties.

“Instead, trade is mostly outside the formal domain and travel is restricted to religious tourism,” he said.

On the eve of his trip, the Iranian president set a target of $10bn in bilateral trade, saying the level of economic relations between the two countries is not equal to the level of political relations. Last August, they had set the bilateral trade target at $5bn.

A plan to build a pipeline to export Iranian natural gas to Pakistan has been stalled amid opposition from the United States, which has slapped a wide range of sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear programme.

Faisal, from the University of Technology Sydney, said the Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline might be discussed during the talks.

How has Pakistan responded to Iran-Israel tensions?

On April 14, a day after Iran’s strikes on Israel, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement calling for de-escalation. The statement deemed the events “the consequences of the breakdown of diplomacy”.

“These also underline the ‘grave’ implications in cases where the UN Security Council is unable to fulfil its responsibilities of maintaining international peace and security,” the ministry statement said.

It further said Pakistan underlined the necessity of international efforts to prevent further hostilities in the region and for a ceasefire in Gaza.

“It’s now critically urgent to stabilise the situation and restore peace. We call on all parties to exercise utmost restraint,” the statement concluded.

Pakistan does not recognise Israel and does not have direct channels of communication with it.

“In recent years, there has been growing conjecture about pressure from GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] countries on Pakistan to make changes to its Palestine policy. There is no indication that such a change is on the cards,” Zaidi said.
Pakistan eyes new IMF loan by early July, finance minister says (Reuters)
Reuters [4/23/2024 2:23 AM, Asif Shahzad, 5.2M, Neutral]
Pakistan could secure a staff-level agreement on a new long-term larger loan with the International Monetary Fund by early July, its finance minister said on Tuesday.

The country’s current $3 billion arrangement with the fund -- which it secured last summer to avert a sovereign default -- runs out in late April.

The $350 billion South Asian economy faces a chronic balance of payment crisis. The government is seeking a larger, long-term loan to help stabilise economic activity and financial markets so it can execute long-due, painful structural reforms.

If secured, it would be the 24th IMF bailout for Pakistan.

"We are still hoping that we get a staff-level agreement by June or early July," Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb told a conference in Islamabad.

He returned from Washington last week after leading a team to attend the IMF and World Bank’s spring meetings.

"We had very good discussions in Washington," he said.

He said he did not know at this stage the volume and tenure of the longer programme, although he has previously said that he was looking for at least a three-year bailout plan.

Both sides have said they were already in discussions for the new loan. A formal request, however, will be made once the current facility expires, with the IMF board likely to meet late this month to approve the second and last tranche of the current support scheme.

The economy is expected to grow by 2.6% in the fiscal year 2024, the finance minister said, adding that the inflation was projected at 24%, down from 29.2% in fiscal 2023. It touched a record high of 38% last May.

Aurangzeb said structural reforms would include increasing the government’s tax revenue-to-GDP ratio to 13% to 14% in next two or three years from the current level of around 9%, reducing losses of state-owned enterprises through their privatization, and better management of the debt-laden energy sector.
Security forces kill 11 militants in northwest region bordering Afghanistan, Pakistani military says (AP)
AP [4/22/2024 8:53 AM, Staff, 22K, Negative]
Pakistani security forces killed eleven militants in two raids Monday targeting their hideouts in the volatile northwest region bordering Afghanistan, the military aid in a statement.

Ten militants were killed in the first raid in Dera Ismail Khan district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. This came a day after gunmen shot and killed two Pakistani customs officials there.

Another militant was killed in the second raid in a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban in the North Waziristan district in the northwest.

Such operations often target the Pakistani Taliban, known as the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP.

The TTP are a separate group but a close ally of the Afghan Taliban, which seized power in Afghanistan in 2021 and the Taliban takeover in neighboring Afghanistan has emboldened the Pakistani Taliban.
Security for Chinese workers in Pakistan will always be elusive (Nikkei Asia – opinion)
Nikkei Asia [4/23/2024 1:00 AM, Ayesha Siddiqa]
Like his predecessors, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has repeatedly promised China that he will protect its workers and investments in his country.

Yet deadly attacks continue to occur as frequently as ever. A suicide attacker rammed his explosive-laden car into a bus last month killing five Chinese engineers. Another attack last week hit a convoy of Japanese workers who police believe had been misidentified as Chinese.

Beijing wants foolproof security for its 1,200 workers building critical infrastructure and teaching in Pakistan. In the face of persistent attacks, Beijing has asked Islamabad to allow it to deploy its own security personnel, but Pakistan has yet to agree.

I have been told that Islamabad came close to accepting Beijing’s demand around 2016 during Nawaz Sharif’s third term as prime minister, but the Pakistan Army blocked the plan. Raheel Sharif, then the military chief, instead created new army and naval units with around 12,000 personnel with the ostensible mission of protecting China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects.

Yet these forces have failed to end deadly attacks against Chinese workers in Pakistan in any way. When a suicide bomber killed three Chinese language teachers at Karachi University in 2022, Islamabad made the concession of permitting Beijing to send in its own investigators for the first time while making more promises to provide better protection.

Officials in Islamabad are certainly well aware of the importance of protecting Chinese workers given that Beijing’s support remains critical for Pakistan’s own financial and military security. The country has accumulated about $67 billion in debt with China and Beijing’s forbearance about repayment has so far been vital in keeping Islamabad from defaulting on its international obligations.

But the military’s special CPEC security units are not well managed and lack the proper wherewithal to address sensitivities involving Chinese workers’ security. Although the CPEC army division is run by military officers, much of its ranks has been filled with civilian police lacking sufficient training.

As with other police in Pakistan, these personnel have often been deployed on domestic political missions, such as providing security for local officials, raiding the homes and offices of opposition politicians or suppressing the activities of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party of ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan.

This has resulted in a loss of focus, as seen with last month’s killing of the Chinese engineers. Investigators have found that contrary to security protocols, the workers were being transported in an unsecured bus, vulnerable to bullets and bombs.

In a broader sense, Islamabad’s focus has drifted away from the CPEC and China’s ongoing projects -- and China has also become increasingly wary.

Domestic political and economic crises in Pakistan have consumed attention in Islamabad in recent years despite recurrent references by the leaders in power to the importance of the CPEC.

It simply no longer appears to be a top priority. The emerging reality is that while rhetoric about Pakistan’s deep friendship with China is still frequently heard, officials are increasingly signaling an interest in making room for other foreign investors, even in areas that had been informally reserved for Chinese use.

In particular, Islamabad seems keen to attract Saudi investment and American assistance for mining projects in southern areas, including Balochistan province, long a center of Chinese attention.

Pakistani officials are believed to have held discussions with the Saudi sovereign Public Investment Fund (PIF) about taking over state-owned shares in Reko Diq, a huge planned copper and gold mine in Balochistan.

Gwadar, the province’s main seaport, which was previously almost a no-go area for Western diplomats and is home to what some have suggested is a nascent Chinese naval base, has been visited several times in recent years by British and American diplomats while China’s top local envoys have not been seen.

These developments certainly do not mean that China has become unimportant to Pakistan. Beijing is now the only major source of weapon systems for Pakistan and key to its defense industrial infrastructure.

Yet Qamar Javed Bajwa, who succeeded Raheel Sharif as army chief in 2016, often spoke privately about feeling more affinity with the West than with China. At a private briefing at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London in 2019, he remarked that Pakistan has "genetic ties with the West" that could supersede its links with China.

Gen. Asim Munir, who replaced Bajwa in 2022, seems even keener to engage with the U.S., especially to enlist its support in securing financial relief for Pakistan from the International Monetary Fund and other multilateral aid donors. Munir’s first visit to Washington in December led to U.S. promises of support in areas including agriculture and mining as well as combating insurgents.

It seems conceivable that Beijing could begin to feel a sense of envy regarding other nations’ activities in Pakistan.

Canada’s Barrick Gold, which operates and owns half of Reko Diq, has come under relatively little criticism from Baloch nationalist groups nor suffered physical attacks, in stark contrast to Chinese companies operating in Balochistan. It seems possible the Saudi PIF might be similarly tacitly accepted at Reko Diq.

From the point of view of Baloch nationalists, Chinese state companies and workers are in cahoots with what they see as an oppressive Pakistani state apparatus. Other foreign companies like Barrick generally operate with a much lighter physical presence, making them less of a target for criticism or attack. Additionally, as home to members of the Baloch diaspora, Western countries are seen as much more potentially sympathetic to the Baloch cause than Beijing is. Saudi Arabia also is home to a Baloch community that may translate into a degree of a goodwill.

For now, China and Pakistan will remain closely tied. Yet suspicions of each other’s motives and intentions seem bound to fester.
India
US rights report on India cites abuses in Manipur, harassment of media and minorities (Reuters)
Reuters [4/22/2024 7:15 PM, Kanishka Singh, 5239K, Neutral]
The U.S. State Department’s annual human rights assessment found "significant" abuses in India’s northeastern Manipur state last year and attacks on minorities, journalists and dissenting voices in the rest of the country.

Manipur has seen fierce fighting between its tribal Kuki-Zo and majority Meitei populations after a court order a year ago suggested the Kuki’s minority privileges be extended to the Meitei. More than 200 people have been killed.

The State Department report said over 60,000 people were displaced between May and November in Manipur.

There was no immediate comment on the report from the Indian embassy in Washington.

In the rest of India, the State Department reported "numerous instances" in which the government and its allies "allegedly pressured or harassed media outlets critical of the government."

For example, the Income Tax Department searched the BBC’s offices in early 2023 after it released a documentary critical of Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Indian government said at the time the search was not vindictive.

Reporters Without Borders ranked India at 161 out of 180 countries on its press freedom index in 2023, the country’s lowest position ever.

The U.S. assessment said religious minorities in India reported discrimination including calls for violence and spread of misinformation.

Modi, who is favored to win a record-equaling third term in an election under way until June 1, denies abuse of minorities and says his policies aim to benefit all Indians.

Human rights groups allege the climate has deteriorated under Modi. They point to rise in hate speech, the revoking, opens new tab of Muslim-majority Kashmir’s special status, a citizenship law, opens new tab that the U.N. calls "fundamentally discriminatory" and the demolition of Muslim properties the name of removing illegal construction.

While the U.S. report hit on themes similar to recent years, political analysts say Washington is restrained in its public criticism of New Delhi because the U.S. hopes India will act as a counterweight to an expansionist China.
Modi Calls Muslims ‘Infiltrators’ Who Would Take India’s Wealth (New York Times)
New York Times [4/22/2024 8:43 AM, Alex Travelli and Suhasini Raj, Neutral]
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called Muslims “infiltrators” who would take India’s wealth if his opponents gained power — unusually direct and divisive language from a leader who normally lets others do the dirtiest work of polarizing Hindus against Muslims.

Mr. Modi, addressing voters in the state of Rajasthan, referred to a remark once made by Manmohan Singh, his predecessor from the opposition Indian National Congress Party. Mr. Singh, Mr. Modi claimed, had “said that Muslims have the first right to the wealth of the nation. This means they will distribute this wealth to those who have more children, to infiltrators.”

Mr. Modi aimed his emotional appeal at women, addressing “my mothers and sisters” to say that his Congress opponents would take their gold and give it to Muslims.

Implications like these — that Muslims have too many babies, that they are coming for Hindus’ wives and daughters, that their nationality as Indian is itself in doubt — are often made by representatives of Mr. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, or B.J.P.

Mr. Modi’s use of such language himself, as he campaigns for a third term in office, raised alarm that it could inflame right-wing vigilantes who target Muslims, and brought up questions about what had prompted his shift in communication style. Usually, Mr. Modi avoids even using the word “Muslims,” coyly finding ways to refer indirectly to India’s largest minority group, of 200 million people.

Mallikarjun Kharge, the president of the Congress party, called Mr. Modi’s remarks “hate speech.” Asaduddin Owaisi, who represents the only national party for Muslims, lamented how “common Hindus are made to fear Muslims while their wealth is being used to enrich others.”

Tom Vadakkan, a spokesman for the B.J.P., said that Mr. Modi’s speech was being misinterpreted. “This is not about our compatriots, the Muslims,” he said. Mr. Modi was talking only about “infiltrators,” according to Mr. Vadakkan.

The prime minister’s fiery oration, delivered in 100-degree heat in the town of Banswara in arid Rajasthan, marked a contrast to the image he presents in international contexts.

During a visit to the White House in June, Mr. Modi said there was “no question of discrimination” in India. When he played host to the Group of 20 summit in New Delhi three months later, he chose the theme “the world is one family”(in Sanskrit, the primary liturgical language of orthodox Hinduism).

He put his own face on soft-power outreach programs like World Yoga Day, broadcast to Times Square, using it to present a Hindu-centric India as a benign “teacher to the world.”

Campaigns that divide Hindus and Muslims can be useful in animating the hard-right Hindu base of Mr. Modi’s otherwise broad-based electorate, especially in places like Banswara, where Hindus outnumber Muslims by three to one.

With his remarks, Mr. Modi may have been trying to close a divide that has opened among Hindus in Rajasthan over whether to support the B.J.P., with one prominent group holding protests over comments made by a party official.

But the prime minister’s speech was also clearly intended for a wider audience; he shared a clip on his official social media channels.

The B.J.P. remains the favorite to win another parliamentary majority when six weeks of voting concludes on June 1 and ballots are counted three days later. Mr. Kharge, the Congress party president, called Mr. Modi’s speech — perhaps hopefully — a sign of desperation, adding that opposition candidates must be faring well in the early stages of balloting.

Neerja Chowdhury, a columnist and the author of “How Prime Ministers Decide,” echoed Mr. Kharge, saying that, in her view, “voters are expressing their dissatisfaction much more openly this time.” The B.J.P. is capable of a swift course correction, she added, because “they get feedback very quickly.”

Rahul Gandhi, the public face of the Congress party, said that Mr. Modi’s comments had been intended as a diversion from subjects that trouble ordinary voters, like joblessness and inflation.

That the prime minister alluded to religion at all in his speech drew complaints that he may have violated India’s election rules.

Candidates are supposed to be barred from asking for votes in the name of religion or caste. But B.J.P. leaders regularly invoke Hindu deities during campaign rallies. The country’s Election Commission, which enforces the rules, has taken little action against the party, even as it has moved against members of other parties in similar cases.

Uddhav Thackeray, a former ally of Mr. Modi’s who is now running against the B.J.P., declared that he would now ignore an Election Commission order to remove the word “Hindu” from his own party’s campaign song.

The basis for Mr. Modi’s attack was a 22-second excerpt from a statement that Mr. Singh, a Sikh economist who was the prime minister before Mr. Modi, made in 2006. Mr. Singh had been listing many of the traditionally disadvantaged groups in India, including lower-caste Hindus and tribal populations, and “in particular the Muslim community,” and said that all should share equitably in the nation’s wealth.

Since Mr. Modi took office in 2014, Muslims haven’t had a proportional share of India’s steady economic and social development. None of the 430 candidates the B.J.P. is fielding in the current election is Muslim.

Mr. Singh’s speech from 2006 seems old now, but it was made just four years after riots in the state of Gujarat under the watch of Mr. Modi. Hindus and Muslims hacked and burned one another and at least 1,000 died, most of them Muslims.
Modi accused of ‘hate speech’ toward India’s Muslims in election rally (Washington Post)
Washington Post [4/22/2024 11:33 AM, Adela Suliman, 6902K, Neutral]
Political opponents accused Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “hate speech” after an address during an election rally when he seemingly cast Muslims as taking the wealth of other Indians.

Modi, 73, told a rally in Rajasthan on Sunday that when the opposition Indian National Congress party held power in India, “they said Muslims have the first right over the country’s resources.”

If the Congress party returns to power, “they will gather all your wealth and distribute it among those who have more children,” Modi said in a comment widely interpreted as referring to Muslim Indians. “They will distribute it among the infiltrators,” he continued.

“Do you think your hard-earned money should be given to infiltrators?” Modi added, to applause.

Modi’s remarks referenced a pledge in 2006 by then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of the Congress party, who outlined the need to financially empower India’s minorities.

Mallikarjun Kharge, president of the Congress party, rejected the accusation in a post Sunday on X and characterized Modi’s comments as “hate speech” and a “ploy to divert the focus of the people.” Kharge said Congress’s political manifesto is “for every Indian” and champions equality and justice “for all.”

Abhishek Singhvi, a senior Congress member, told reporters Monday that the party has registered a complaint with the Election Commission of India.

More than half a billion Indian voters are expected to cast ballots in the world’s largest election, which Modi is widely expected to win. Staggered voting began Friday in the country of over 1.4 billion people and is due to end on June 1, with votes counted on June 4.

Modi’s Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has traditionally drawn more support in the north since he came to power almost a decade ago. This election could hand Modi a rare third term in office as his party takes on an alliance led by Congress and other regional parties.

Modi’s party has pushed for a more explicitly Hindu vision of India’s identity in contrast to post-independence leaders, who saw the country more as a secular, multicultural democracy. Hinduism is the faith of about 80 percent of the population.

The BJP has not responded directly to the criticism of Modi’s comments. The prime minister repeated similar comments on Monday in Aligarh, a city in Uttar Pradesh.

Earlier this year, Modi inflamed religious tensions after he inaugurated a grand Hindu temple on the site of the razed mosque in the northeastern city of Ayodhya. At the event, he spoke of pride restored and a glorious “new epoch” awaiting believers in Lord Ram like himself.

The implementation of a citizenship law that excludes Muslims from a naturalization fast track have also been a point of contention in the country. The law has been criticized for using religion as a criterion for citizenship in violation of the secularism embraced by India’s founders.

“Modi today called Muslims infiltrators and people with many children,” Asaduddin Owaisi, the leader of a Muslim political party, the All India Council for Unity of Muslims, known as AIMIM, wrote Sunday on X. “Since 2002 till this day, the only Modi guarantee has been to abuse Muslims and get votes.”
Modi’s Comment on Muslims Prompts Complaint to Election Body (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [4/22/2024 11:17 AM, Swati Gupta, 5543K, Neutral]
India’s main opposition party complained to the country’s election body after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made comments at rallies over the past two days which they say were religiously divisive.

Modi told supporters Sunday in Rajasthan that if voted to power, the Indian National Congress would redistribute wealth to minorities, like Muslims, and “infiltrators.”

“The Congress manifesto says they will calculate the gold with mothers and sisters, and then distribute that property,” Modi told the cheering crowd. “They will distribute it to whom?” he asked.

He went on to claim that Manmohan Singh — who was prime minister in a previous Congress-led government — had said “Muslims have first right on the country’s assets,” comments which opposition officials said distorted the facts.

Modi made similar comments at a rally Monday in Aligarh, in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, saying the Congress party would redistribute people’s property, without naming any minority group. About 20% of Aligarh’s population is Muslim in a state where Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party dominates.

Abhishek Singhvi, a senior Congress leader, said Monday the party had registered its complaint with the Election Commission of India.

“There is clear mention of one religion and the allegation that the Congress party will give them all the country’s wealth and that the party is associated with infiltrators,” Singhvi told reporters Monday outside the commission’s offices in New Delhi. The party demanded action from the election body, saying its code of conduct for political parties had been violated.

The Election Commission didn’t immediately respond to the Congress’s demand. Earlier, the commission said it had no comment to make on the subject.

A BJP spokesman defended Modi’s comments. The prime minister’s remarks have “resonated with the people of the country,” Gaurav Bhatia, national spokesman of the party said at a briefing.

Modi is seeking a third term in office in elections that kicked off on April 19 and will run until June 1. He’s maintained his popularity with voters through a combination of economic measures to support the poor and Hindu nationalist policies that appeal to the vast majority of the population, 80% of who identify as Hindu.

Modi told supporters at Sunday’s rally that the Congress party would give away their hard-earned money to “infiltrators.” He referred to the opposition’s election manifesto released earlier this month, which promised that it would undertake a national survey to determine socio-economic inequalities and address it.

“Should your hard-earned money be given to infiltrators? Do you agree to that?,” Modi asked. “The Congress manifesto says that it will count the gold belonging to your mothers and sisters and then they will distribute it.”
India’s Congress seeks action against Modi for comments about Muslims (Reuters)
Reuters [4/22/2024 10:20 AM, Sakshi Dayal, 5239K, Negative]
India’s main opposition Congress party petitioned the Election Commission on Monday to act against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for making what it said were "deeply objectionable" comments about Muslims that violated election laws.

Modi, who is seeking a rare third consecutive term, referred to Muslims as "infiltrators" during a campaign speech on Sunday, drawing widespread criticism from opposition groups.

In his speech, Modi said the Congress election manifesto promised to confiscate and redistribute the wealth of Indians, which it denies.

Modi said if the party adhered to remarks in 2006 of then Congress Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that minority Muslims should have the "first claim on resources" to share in the fruits of development, then wealth would be distributed to "infiltrators" and those who have "more children".

Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its affiliates often refer to Muslim militants illegally crossing the border from Pakistan as infiltrators.

They have also criticised Muslims for their higher birth rates and invoked fears that India’s Muslim population would overtake that of its majority Hindus.

India’s estimated 200 million Muslims make up the world’s third-largest Muslim population. India has a population of 1.42 billion people.

Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said Modi’s "deeply objectionable" statement violated sections of the law that prohibit candidates from asking people to vote or refrain from voting for anyone on the grounds of "religion", "community" or "religious symbols".

"We have asked the Election Commission to state that this is the position in law," Singhvi told reporters, urging it to act against Modi in the same way it would against anyone else accused of similar offences.

The Election Commission did not respond to a request for comment.

Modi’s government has repeatedly been accused of discrimination against Muslims, with civil society, opposition groups, and some foreign governments raising concerns over decisions they say are aimed at fanning discrimination and keeping the BJP in power.

The government has denied all accusations, and Modi has said he works for the betterment of all.

Under election laws, the Election Commission can ask a party or its leader to respond to a complaint, issue advisories cautioning them or prohibit them from campaigning for a specified period, or launch a criminal case against repeat offenders.

India’s seven-week election began on April 19 and will end on June 1, with results due on June 4.
Re-run of vote concludes peacefully in India’s restive Manipur state (Reuters)
Reuters [4/22/2024 10:18 AM, Tora Agarwala, 5239K, Neutral]
A re-run of voting at 11 polling stations in India’s restive northeastern state of Manipur concluded peacefully on Monday with a turnout of almost 82%, election commission officials said, days after polling was marred by violence.

Manipur has seen fierce fighting between its minority Kuki-Zo and majority Meitei populations for several months after a court order suggested privileges granted to the former be extended to the latter. More than 200 people have been killed in the violence.

Several parts of the state voted in the first phase of the national elections on Friday, but authorities ordered fresh polls in 11 locations after armed mobs attempted to take over polling stations.

The polling stations recorded a turnout of 81.61% until 5 pm (1130 GMT), when voting ended, officials said.

"No violence was reported. It (voting) has been smooth. It doesn’t get better than this," Pradeep Jha, the state’s chief electoral officer, told Reuters.

Kukis, who make up 16% of Manipur’s population and live in the hills, receive economic benefits and quotas for government jobs and education, while Meiteis, who make up 53% of the population, control the more prosperous lowlands.

Amidst violence between the groups, election campaigning in Manipur was done behind closed doors this year, and the state recorded a voter turnout of 68% in the first phase on Friday.

India’s election, in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party are seeking a rare third term, is taking place in seven phases and will conclude in June.

Manipur, which has two constituencies, will vote again in the second phase on Friday.
Modi’s Path to a 400-Seat Goal Runs Through India’s South, East (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [4/22/2024 7:00 PM, Sudhi Ranjan Sen and Shruti Srivastava, 5543K, Neutral]
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been predicting his Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition can sweep three out of every four parliament seats as he criss-crosses the country to charm voters. Analysts and election strategists from his party say the task isn’t entirely impossible, but will likely be difficult.

Modi has set sights on the ruling coalition, the National Democratic Alliance, or NDA, exceeding 400 out of 543 seats in the lower house of parliament after votes are counted on June 4.

To do that he’ll have to replicate the NDA’s exceptional showing in northern India in the 2019 election, win more seats in the south — which has so far proved immune to his charm — and wrest power in the west and restive eastern parts of the country.

“The NDA won 352 seats last time and to cross 400 they need 48 seats more,” said Pradeep Gupta, chairman of polling company Axis My India. “Much depends how BJP and NDA performs in states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh in southern India.

The last time anyone achieved such a crushing win was in 1984, when the Indian National Congress won 404 seats after a sympathy wave swept the country in the aftermath of then-prime minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination.

Winning that many seats will give Modi’s alliance more than a two-thirds majority in the lower house of Parliament. The ruling coalition would need two-thirds backing in both the upper and lower houses of Parliament in order to change the Constitution.

Modi is being buoyed by several factors that may help him meet his seat target. India is one of the fastest-growing major economies, a temple where a centuries-old mosque once stood is now open — boosting the BJP’s Hindu nationalist push — and the opposition has been hit by defections and arrests of some of its leaders.

That doesn’t mean its a done deal though. Indian voters are fickle and anti-incumbency sentiment runs strong. Several parties remain dominant in their regional strongholds too.

Here are the opportunities and challenges Modi faces in his quest to meet his lofty goals:

Southern Foray

The BJP and its allies can reach Modi’s target if they can substantially increase their tally in the 130 seats from the southern states, according to polling company Axis My India. The NDA currently holds 31 seats in those regions.

“The BJP will have to break ground in southern India,” said Neelanjan Sircar, a senior fellow at the Delhi-based Centre for Policy Research. Modi will have to do well in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in order to achieve 370-400 seats overall, he added.

That’s easier said than done. The BJP has traditionally had less sway in the south where voters prefer regional parties that promote local languages over Hindi, and where the ruling party’s Hindu nationalism message doesn’t resonate much. Political leaders there also say they’re not getting their fair share of tax revenue from federal coffers.

Modi, who is the face of the BJP campaign and even the star of the party’s manifesto, is making a strong pitch to skeptical voters. He has visited the southern states almost a dozen times in the past six months and even dredged up a decades-old diplomatic issue, blaming the opposition for ceding an island to neighboring Sri Lanka.

Maharashtra Battle

The BJP’s alliance with a party in India’s wealthiest state in the west, Maharashtra, delivered 41 of the 48 federal lawmakers to Modi in 2019. It also won a majority in the state assembly. But the pact broke down over differences in forming the state government and in the end the Shiv Sena cobbled together a coalition with the opposition and other smaller groups.

But things have since been looking up for the BJP. In 2022, the Shiv Sena split into two with one faction siding with the BJP, which led to the chief minister’s resignation and a new coalition dominated by the BJP taking over the state government.

An internal BJP survey showed it will gain the parliamentary seats currently held by the opposition-backed rival Shiv Sena faction, according to senior members of the party who asked not to be named as they are not authorized to speak about electoral strategy. The BJP will make headway as it has a strong campaign network on the ground, they added.

The BJP didn’t respond to requests for comments.

Eastern Advance

The party sees its parliament seat tally significantly rising in the east, particularly in the states of West Bengal and Odisha. Internal assessments show the BJP could bag half of the 42 parliament seats in West Bengal due to negative media coverage about law and order in the state, the people said. In 2019, the BJP won 18 seats.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banarjee, however, remains a strong force on the ground. Her party, the All India Trinamool Congress, has been in power in the state since 2011. Despite a strong push by the BJP she won more seats in the 2021 state elections than the previous one in 2016.

In another eastern state, Odisha, the BJP expects to win nearly two thirds of the 21 seats compared to a third in 2019, the BJP officials said, as voters may look for a change from regional party Biju Janata Dal, in power for over two decades.

The main opposition party, the Indian National Congress said they are “confident and upbeat about about our prospects,” especially after the first phase of India’s six-week long elections that began on April 19. “The BJP will not be anywhere near its target,” said Pawan Khera, a spokesperson for the party, in a phone conversation. He added that economic inequality, unemployment and farmer distress — issues the Congress has been campaigning on — were resonating with voters.

Hindi Heartland

Modi’s coalition will need to maintain its 2019 win rate of 92% of the 257 seats from the Hindi-speaking heartland comprising most of central and northern India. His party expects to do better in Uttar Pradesh, which sends 80 lawmakers to parliament — the most in the country, the people said. It won 64 seats in the last election.

The BJP’s support in state assembly elections has been strong, although that doesn’t mean voters will go the same way in the national polls. The party extended its grip on Uttar Pradesh for a second term in 2022 — the first time any party has done this in four decades. It went on to retain power in Madhya Pradesh and wrested control of Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh assemblies in December on the back of Modi’s star power, government handouts and economic growth.

Even so, retaining every seat in the national elections might be difficult.

“Losing some seats cannot be ruled out,” said Axis My India’s Gupta. “A decade in power leads to fatigue and anti-incumbency.”
India sends supersonic missiles to Philippines that ‘can hit’ China’s ships (Washington Examiner)
Washington Examiner [4/22/2024 3:28 PM, Joel Gehrke, 554K, Neutral]
Philippine forces have acquired supersonic cruise missiles from India, enhancing Manila’s ability to target China’s forces in disputed areas of the South China Sea.

“Its maximum extent in terms of range exceeds the West Philippine Sea,” Philippine National Security Council assistant director general Jonathan Malaya told local reporters, using Manila’s preferred name for the disputed waters. “This is more of a deterrent because we now have several batteries for this BrahMos cruise missile, which is going to be deployed to the Philippine Marines.”

Such a missile force could play a significant role in any possible conflict between the Philippines and China, which has laid claim to vast swaths of the South China Sea and deployed coast guard and maritime militia vessels to enforce those claims at the Philippines’s expense. U.S. and Philippine officials have been working to station additional missile batteries in the Philippines, but the newest offering points to India’s potential as a security partner.

“Now we are also exporting BrahMos missiles,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday to announce the shipment. “The first batch of this missile is going to the Philippines today. I congratulate all countrymen on this.”

Modi announced the delivery of the missile battery, which was developed by a “joint venture” between Indian and Russian defense companies, just days before the launch of large-scale military exercises led by the Philippines and the United States.

“Supplying its finest BrahMos missiles to friendly countries like the Philippines is natural in that sense and in the context of evolving security dynamics in the Indo-Pacific as perceived by Manila,” former Indian diplomat Anil Trigunayat told the South China Morning Post. “China and the Philippines have their own problem-and-sovereignty matrix which has forced Manila to beef up its defenses, including its security partnership with the U.S.”

The deployment of land-based missiles to the Philippines is a key theme of those “mega drills,” which will include participants from France and Australia. The military exercises, widely perceived as a show of force in the context of China’s increasingly confrontational approach in the South China Sea, drew an implicit warning from a senior Chinese military official.

“China … will safeguard its legitimate rights in the face of deliberate violation of its sovereignty, and it will take firm countermeasures against unreasonable provocations,” Chinese People’s Liberation Army Gen. Zhang Youxia, the vice chairman of China’s Central Military Commission, said Monday at a naval symposium in China.

China has laid claim to the majority of the South China Sea in defiance of an international tribunal’s 2016 ruling against Beijing in a case brought by the Philippines. Those tensions have worsened in recent months, as Chinese forces seek to prevent the delivery of supplies to a Philippine military outpost in the Second Thomas Shoal — and claim the right to enforce former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s “gentleman’s agreement” that Manila would not try to supply the outpost.

“The Philippines keeps denying these common understandings,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Monday. “Breach of commitments and provocations will only escalate the situation and eventually backfire on the Philippines itself. We hope the Philippines will face that squarely and decide sensibly what its action should be.”

The BrahMos cruise missiles could give Philippine officials a broader range of options that might be deemed sensible.

“If we see something entering our territory as a threat, the BrahMos missile can hit that target the moment it enters our exclusive economic zone,” said Malaya, the Philippine National Security Council official.
How Can India Hold Elections When It’s Too Hot to Vote? (Bloomberg – opinion)
Bloomberg [4/22/2024 5:00 PM, David Fickling, 5543K, Negative]
How do you run a democracy when the mercury rises above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit)?

That’s the problem faced by voters in India. A swath of the country’s east is sweltering under a brutal heatwave. The city center of Kolkata has emptied out, schools have cancelled classes, and one TV presenter collapsed on air with heat stroke.

The first round of seven-phase general elections, which took place on Friday, seems to have been another casualty: turnout was down four percentage points relative to the last poll in 2019, the Indian Express newspaper reported. Multiple officials quoted by the paper cited the effect of extreme heat, adding also that a busy wedding season and general apathy may have been factors.

Some of the most intense temperatures last week were on the east coast, keenly watched battlegrounds where Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party has traditionally been weak relative to its performance in the rest of the country. There were roughly 7.6 million fewer voters in the 102 seats polled Friday, according to estimates by Yogendra Yadav, an election analyst and political activist.

The world’s largest democracy is only going to struggle more with this as the planet warms. It will have to overhaul its hulking electoral machinery to keep up.

The length of voting lines in US federal elections (especially in majority-Black districts) are a perennial scandal, prompting lawsuits, protests, and a Curb Your Enthusiasm story line. The challenges you’ll face standing around in the middle of fall in the US are nothing, however, compared to an Indian pre-monsoon heatwave.

There’s both idealistic and cynical reasons to change. Encouraging the highest possible turnout ought to be an end in itself for any democracy. (My own country, Australia, is one of more than a dozen where voting is mandatory.) US elections have been held at the start of November since the mid-19th century because farmers in what was then a largely agricultural society had completed the harvest and the coldest winter weather was yet to come. That was seen as the best way of boosting turnout.

India may have ended up with its recent run of summer elections for similar reasons. Prime ministers, as in the UK, get to choose the date of the polls. Between monsoons1, wedding seasons, religious festivals, three separate cropping seasons, and surprisingly intense winters, however, there just aren’t that many suitable dates. As a result, every Indian general election since 2004 has been held in April and May.

There’s a more wily reason to target the changing seasons, too. Climate seems to have measurable, if much-debated, effects on voter behavior. In the UK, all but one of the 11 general elections since 1979 have also happened in April, May or June, when politicians appear to believe the spring sunshine will imbue people with a feeling of optimism that will benefit incumbents. By the same token, waiting in line in furnace-like temperatures might not be the best way to convince wavering voters the government has its priorities straight.

There are plenty of fixes that could be made here. India has nearly a billion registered voters, but few provisions to make the ballot process easier. Postal and absentee voting is only available to people with disabilities, those over 85 (raised this time around, from 80 in 2019), and certain essential services workers. Everyone else needs to turn up on the day or miss the opportunity. Roughly half a billion people who’ve migrated from other areas of the country face barriers to voting in their home towns, an issue the country’s Election Commission is only starting to address.

In-person pre-poll voting may be a challenge given the sheer scale of the vote. There simply aren’t enough poll workers to run it in a country with a million voting booths. Still, postal ballots ought to be far more widely used.

Above all, though, Indian politicians need to reconsider the timing of the vote. Punishing monsoon seasons aren’t going away any time soon. Indeed, they’re only likely to get worse as the accumulated carbon pollution from richer countries, as well as that resulting from Modi’s own failing renewables programs, raises temperatures in April and May to still-more unbearable levels. An earlier ballot, perhaps kicking off after Republic Day in late January, would avoid the worst times.

It’s possible the current election could provide the catalyst for such a change. Despite the BJP’s roots as an urban, upper-caste party, the constituencies that Modi has increasingly relied upon since coming to power in 2014 have been precisely the rural, lower-income and lower-caste voters who are most likely to be put off by sweltering weather on election day. The low turnout Friday appears to have rattled him.

We should normally worry when populist leaders start messing around with the mechanics of elections. If it would mean more voters getting to India’s polls without withering in the summer heat, that might be a risk worth taking.
NSB
AI can be a great leveller for the Global South. Just look at Bangladesh (South China Morning Post – opinion)
South China Morning Post [4/22/2024 8:30 PM, Staff, 951K, Neutral]
Artificial intelligence (AI) has long attracted an air of mystique. Depending on where you stand, it will either enrich us or kill us. Yet, rather than indulging in science fiction, we have to understand how AI affects the here and now.

If managed without caution, the rise of AI could be an unprecedented driver of inequality. But if managed correctly, it could prove to be one of the great social levellers. It could allow many in the developing world to leapfrog traditional developmental stages to become truly global, digitally enabled citizens in their own right.

AI is predicted to add US$15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030. To ensure this benefit extends beyond the United States and China primarily, we have to make sure that more voices from the Global South are present.

So how could AI drive inequality? Historically, when technologies are distributed unevenly, exploitation and even domination can ensue. The entangled rise of gunpowder and colonialism might be one such example. As author Yuval Harari asked in an interview last May, “Will the rest of the world just become algorithmic data colonies for AI-dominating countries?” One might see the Cambridge Analytica debacle as evidence of Yuval’s fear.

This may be the doomsday fear. While this technology poses risks, we mustn’t ignore the opportunities it presents too. AI can be a transformative tool for wealth creation and public service delivery in the developing world.

Many have compared the discovery of AI to Prometheus stealing fire from the gods. Just as fire can be used for cooking or arson, depending on whose hands it ends up in, so AI remains as “good” or as “bad” as the people who use it.

In my country of Bangladesh, we have seen that, in the right hands, AI can both protect and transform lives. These successes can, and should, be replicated across the world.

For example, at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Bangladesh had just one RT-PCR laboratory capable of the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction technique used to detect the coronavirus. In a country of 175 million people, this was no small problem.

But by repurposing the country’s toll-free national helpline, we were able to get citizens to self-report their symptoms. By feeding this information into an AI algorithm, we were able to successfully track and manage the disease effectively for the first four months.

This instance was instructive. While many other countries were far better resourced in terms of PCR labs and technology budgets, we were able to take a “frugal innovation” approach to AI to leapfrog the need for various other technologies and track the disease far more effectively than many of our Western counterparts. This just proves the potential of AI in developing countries like Bangladesh.

Beyond Covid-19, the impact on healthcare can be revolutionary. For example, in Bangladesh, a country with five doctors per 10,000 people, we have seen how AI can be used to dramatically reduce doctors’ paperwork load.

One remarkable example is a pregnancy monitoring app that ensures the safety and well-being of expectant mothers and their newborns by keeping all information related to illnesses and treatment online, in one location.

Similarly for education, we have been able to use AI to provide tailor-made learning and summative assessment for individual students. By automating the assessment generation process, the Noipunno initiative has produced over 2 million digital report cards, significantly easing the burden on teachers and promoting transparency in education.

With over 500,000 teachers and nearly 5 million students on board, Noipunno supports real-time monitoring, tracks attendance and ensures student development, while taking some pressure off teachers.

Yet one of the most exciting AI developments we have seen is in improving digital literacy and narrowing the digital divide. In today’s online world, digital literacy equates to power. The power to own land, run businesses, send money abroad, communicate, engage in politics and receive public services.

Yet developing the skills in digital literacy, especially for those in rural areas, can be extremely difficult. Here we see that AI provides another means by which we can leapfrog even the need for traditional digital literacy skills.

That is because an increasing amount of AI tools let people speak directly into computer systems, which eliminates the need for, say, word processing skills. For example, we have shown that AI can be used to help rural populations apply for land registry or identification documents by simply speaking into a phone, instead of filling out reams of online forms.

This marks a real opportunity. We are seeing that AI can provide a meaningful route for previously marginalised voices to be heard and digitally included. Yet this development is in its nascent phase.

For these innovations to be magnified and replicated across the world, we need to make sure the voices of the developing world can be heard. We must remember that AI programs remain prohibitively capital- and energy-intensive to train. For the true benefit of AI to be felt in countries like Bangladesh, these technologies should be transferred, instead of hoarded by a handful of private companies.

That’s why I was pleased that the UN’s “Governing AI For Humanity” report has spotlighted the voice of the Global South. Digital literacy has traditionally been a driver of power asymmetry. Today, we are seeing that an emphasis on AI literacy could reverse that tide. Yet that will only happen if the voices of the marginalised Global South have a seat at the table.
President Muizzu’s Party Sweeps Maldives Parliamentary Elections (The Diplomat)
The Diplomat [4/22/2024 6:01 AM, SMohameed Sharuhan, 201K, Neutral]
Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu’s political party has swept parliamentary elections in a strong endorsement of his pro-China foreign policy, according to preliminary results reported Monday by local media.

The People’s National Congress won 70 out of 93 seats in Sunday’s vote, and along with three seats secured by its allies has taken absolute control of Parliament, according to the preliminary results.

The Maldivian Democratic Party, led by former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who is seen as pro-India, held 65 seats in the previous Parliament but won only 15 seats, the news site Mihaaru.com reported.

Official results are expected later Monday.

The election was closely watched by regional powers India and China, which are competing for influence in the strategically located archipelago nation.

Muizzu’s election as president last year sharpened the rivalry between India and China as he took a pro-China stand and acted to remove Indian troops stationed on one of Maldives’ islets.

Sunday’s election was easier than expected for Muizzu, who had been expected to face a tough fight because some of his allies had fallen out and more parties entered the race.

Six political parties and independent groups fielded 368 candidates for the 93 seats in Parliament. The number of seats is six more than in the previous Parliament following adjustments for population growth.

Muizzu ran for president on a campaign theme of “India out,” accusing his predecessor of compromising national sovereignty by giving India too much influence.

At least 75 Indian military personnel were stationed in the Maldives and their known activities were operating two aircraft donated by India and assisting in the rescue of people stranded or faced with calamities at sea. Muizzu has taken steps to have civilians take over those activities.

Relations were strained further when Indian social media activists started a boycott of tourism in Maldives. That was in retaliation for three Maldivian deputy ministers making derogatory statements about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for raising the idea of promoting tourism in Lakshadweep, India’s own string of islands similar to the Maldives.

India has fallen from being the top source of foreign visitors to Maldives to No. 6, according to Maldives government statistics.

Muizzu visited China earlier this year and negotiated an increase in the number of tourists and inbound flights from China.

In 2013, Maldives joined China’s “Belt and Road” initiative meant to build ports and highways to expand trade — and China’s influence — across Asia, Africa and Europe.
‘China is the winner’ in Maldives election (Agence France-Presse)
Agence France-Presse [4/22/2024 5:54 AM, Staff, 11975K, Neutral]
A landslide parliamentary election victory for the Maldives’ pro-China president clears the way for him to redraw the physical and geopolitical map of his strategically-located Indian Ocean archipelago in Beijing’s favour, diplomats and analysts say.

President Mohamed Muizzu’s party, the People’s National Congress (PNC), will have 67 seats in the 93-member majlis, or parliament, full preliminary results showed Monday -- already a two-thirds supermajority, plus support from five allied legislators.

A raft of Beijing-funded and Chinese-built projects, including an artificial island with tens of thousands of apartments, fish factories, and a new airport that had been obstructed by the outgoing opposition-controlled chamber -- are now expected to go ahead.

"The people voted for Muizzu’s party because they believe he will deliver," said Fathimath Rasheeda, 47, a housewife in Male.

"He promised a lot of construction. I think he is capable and he will do it."

Muizzu’s pledges are expected to pull the nation of 1,192 tiny coral islands, scattered some 800 kilometres (500 miles) across the equator astride key international shipping lanes, significantly further into Beijing’s sphere of influence.

"Ultimately, China is the winner of these elections in the Maldives," a Western diplomat based in neighbouring Sri Lanka told AFP.

The election, held under the shadow of rivalry between China and the regional powerhouse India, the Maldives’ traditional benefactor, was a test of Muizzu’s foreign policy shift.

But an aide to the president said the margin of victory was beyond even their own expectations.

"People believed his promises of bridges, airports and more importantly housing," they said, asking not to be named.

The projects are expected to be funded by Chinese loans, and the contracts executed by Chinese state-owned companies -- under Beijing’s ambitious Belt and Road Infrastructure development model which has proved controversial elsewhere.

"China is willing to work with the Maldives to maintain traditional friendship (and) expand exchanges and cooperation in various fields," foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Monday.

But Western nations led by the US have warned the initiative amounts to a debt trap for developing nations.

Sri Lanka borrowed heavily from China for infrastructure projects before a foreign exchange crisis left it unable to finance essential imports such as food, fuel and medicines and it declared sovereign default in April 2022.

Two months ago, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned the Maldives of "debt distress" and urged "urgent policy adjustments" without giving specifics.

World Bank figures put the Maldives’ total foreign debt at $3.99 billion, or 71 percent of GDP, in 2022.

And an IMF study showed three years earlier that 53 percent of the country’s public and publicly guaranteed external loans were to China, its main economic and development partner.

The Maldives is also vulnerable to climate change, with the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warning in 2007 that rising sea levels could make it virtually uninhabitable by the end of the century.

The biggest planned project is to create a brand new island near the capital called Ras Male, where 30,000 apartments will be built -- a key factor that swayed voters, analysts said.

A week before the election, Muizzu also awarded more than $250 million worth of contracts to Chinese state-owned companies to build three fish processing factories.

After tourism, fish exports are the nation’s second-largest source of foreign exchange.

Another contract for an undisclosed amount was awarded to another Chinese company to upgrade a domestic airstrip into an international airport.

"Doing business with China does not have to be at the cost of relations with India," insisted Masood Imad, the Maldives’ ambassador-designate for Sri Lanka. "There is scope for expanding ties with New Delhi too."

But India’s standing in the archipelago is rapidly diminishing and in January Muizzu chose China for his first state visit, where he signed some 20 agreements clearing the way for greater collaboration between the two.

Muizzu’s presidential campaign featured a pledge to eject some 89 Indian troops stationed in the country to operate three reconnaissance aircraft patrolling its vast maritime boundaries.

The first batch of Indian personnel left last month and the withdrawal is due to be completed by May 10.

"It is the successful ‘India out’ campaign that gave him the presidency," a senior civil servant said. "It is the promise of housing that won him the majlis."
Sri Lanka’s inflation drops to 2.5% in March (Reuters)
Reuters [4/22/2024 6:07 AM, Uditha Jayasinghe, 11975K, Neutral]
Sri Lanka’s consumer price inflation dropped to 2.5% in March from 5.1% in February, official data showed on Monday, as the impact of a higher sales tax needed to meet targets set under a $2.9-billion IMF programme receded.

The National Consumer Price Index (NCPI) (LKNCPI=ECI) captures broad retail price inflation and is released with a lag of 21 days every month.

The decrease was largely driven by a 22% cut in power tariffs last month for households, ensuring prices in the non-food category rose only 0.7% in March versus 5.1% in February.

Food prices stayed unchanged at 5% in March from February on the year, the Department of Census and Statistics said in a statement.

"We are hoping that for the next three months inflation will remain below the target level of 5%," said Shehan Cooray, head of research at Acuity Stockbrokers.

Sri Lanka racked up record high inflation that peaked at 70% in September 2022 after its economy was pummelled by the worst financial crisis in decades, triggered by a plunge in foreign exchange reserves.

The Indian Ocean nation secured a $2.9-billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) last year, helping to temper inflation, boost state revenues, and rebuild foreign exchange reserves after its economy crumbled in 2022.

The World Bank raised its forecast for Sri Lanka’s economy by 0.5% this month, projecting growth of 2.2% for 2024.

"We expect growth to be higher, possibly about 3%, as the last quarter of 2023 grew by 4.5%," Cooray added.

Slowing inflation has also prompted the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) to cut policy rates by 700 bps since last year to help the economy return to growth.
Central Asia
Additional Rescue Teams Sent To West Kazakhstan To Tackle Flood Situation (Radio Free Europe)
Radio Free Europe [4/22/2024 6:49 AM, Staff, 223K, Negative]
The Kazakh government has sent additional rescue teams to West Kazakhstan Province to deal with ongoing floods, which have hit much of the country’s north and west. Meanwhile, across the border in southern Russia, officials braced for the Ishim River to crest.

The Kazakh government said in a statement on April 22 that 600 military personnel and experts from the Emergencies Ministry had been deployed to the region, where the water level in the Zhaiyq River in the regional capital, Oral, reached 8.5 meters a day earlier, which is above the point where it is considered "dangerous."

Emergencies Ministry spokesman Asqar Sharip said on April 22 that 23,085 people returned to their houses after water levels went down in the northern provinces of Amola, Aqtobe, Atyrau, and North Kazakhstan. According to Sharip, 8,872 people, including 3,852 children, remain in temporary shelters.

"The water was diverted from 4,554 private houses and 2,767 households. More than 11.4 million cubic meters of water have been pumped out, 5.3 million sand sacks were used to stop the water," Sharip said.

"Works to divert and pump out water from 5,842 private houses and 1,061 households are under way in the four regions named."

Kazakh officials said earlier that at least seven people died and two went missing in the floods.

In neighboring Russia, emergency officials said on April 22 that the situation remains tense in several regions flooded by a combination of heavy rains and a massive snowmelt sparked by unseasonably warm weather.

Flooding has washed across the region, forcing tens of thousands to seek shelter and clean water supplies.

The Foundation for Public Control over Environmental and Population Safety said on April 22 that in the Russian region of Kurgan that borders Kazakhstan, floodwaters had pushed uranium waste from the defunct Dobrovolnoye uranium field into the Tobol River.

Subsidiaries of Russia’s state nuclear agency Rosatom produced uranium at Dobrovolnoye and on April 16 it said the floods didn’t pose a threat to the uranium mines in Dobrovolnoye.

Rosatom said four days later that the floods had bypassed the uranium mines.

However, the foundation on April 22 issued a video showing that the territory in the area between the villages of Trud-i-Znaniye and Zverinogolovskoye were completely underwater, undercutting Rosatom’s claim.

Adding to that, Andrei Ozharovsky of the Radioactive Waste Safety program said uranium salts had been washed into the Tobol River and will cause an increase in radiation-related illnesses in the region.

The situation also remains especially dramatic in the Russian regions of Tyumen and Orenburg, officials said, with thousands of people forced to leave their homes.

"The situation with flooding in the Tyumen region remains tense," regional Governor Aleksandr Moor said on Telegram.

"The Ishim River in the city has exceeded 10.5 meters. The rise over the last 24 hours was 140 centimeters. But the intensity of the increase has subsided and we expect the maximum water level to be hit in the near future," he said, adding that the river could crest as early as late on April 22.

As of April 22, officials said 14,743 private houses remain under water in 190 towns and villages in Russia’s southern regions bordering Kazakhstan.
Mudslides Triggered By Heavy Rains In Kyrgyzstan Kill 1 (Radio Free Europe)
Radio Free Europe [4/22/2024 8:24 AM, Staff, 223K, Negative]
Kyrgyzstan’s Emergencies Ministry said over the weekend that a mudslide in the southern region of Osh killed one person on April 20. Several roads were closed due to the mudslide in the districts of Alai, Kara-Kulja, Ozgon, and Kara-Suu. Another mudslide in the southern region of Jalal-Abad damaged 45 households and four private houses in the village of Barpy. Kyrgyzstan’s north has been plagued by severe flooding for weeks. In neighboring Uzbekistan, heavy rains caused mudslides and floods in the eastern region of Samarkand over the weekend. No casualties were officially reported there.
U.K.’s Cameron Seeks To Define Common Interests On Visit To Kyrgyzstan (Radio Free Europe)
Radio Free Europe [4/22/2024 5:50 PM, Kubat Kasymbekov, 223K, Neutral]
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said he’s seeking to highlight the common interests of Britain and Kyrgyzstan on his first visit to the Central Asian country in his new job as foreign secretary.

Cameron told RFE/RL in an interview on April 22 that he believes the two countries had "a whole series" of common interests on their agendas, particularly the areas of climate change, trade, education, and security.

The former British prime minister, who 11 years ago was the first British leader to visit Kyrgyzstan, also said his meetings with President Sadyr Japarov covered the importance of healthy and functioning democracies, and that this is in the interest of both Britain and Kyrgyzstan.

Cameron noted that the world has become a more competitive and contested place in which "big powers are muscling around" trying to win partners. Without naming any country in particular, he said his message to Kyrgyzstan was that it doesn’t have to choose one partner over another or reject partners it already has.

"We’re saying we are a new partner that is keen to work with you with common interests, where we can make success together," Cameron told RFE/RL.

He noted that Kyrgyzstan was "investing hugely" in education, while Britain believes in the "importance of the English language" and wants to help promote that.

Asked about concerns over the deteriorating state of press freedom and the shrinking civic space in Kyrgyzstan, a country that was once called "an island of democracy in Central Asia," and other states in the region, Cameron said he raised these issues in his meeting with Japarov.

"We talked about the importance of voluntary bodies, charities, nongovernmental organizations, civil society organizations," he said.

Countries should always respect each other’s differences and approaches, but he said that in his view, civil society organizations play a role in "helping to make our democracies work better, and that’s the approach very much that we take in the United Kingdom."

On Russia’s war in Ukraine, Cameron said his message was that it’s wrong because Ukraine is an independent sovereign country just like Kyrgyzstan, and Britain is helping Ukraine to fight off the illegal invasion.

"But I think there’s a broader message for everyone about the importance of sovereignty, the importance of borders, the importance of respecting those things, and I think that’s a message that people want to hear [and are] very receptive to hear," he said.

Cameron visited Israel before arriving in Central Asia. He said his message there was that Britain wants the fighting to stop and the hostages released.

"Our message is one of: let’s have a pause in the fighting. Let’s turn that into the hostage release. Let’s turn that into a sustainable cease-fire where we deal with the problems of the conflict," he said.
Growth rates set to slow in Caucasus and Central Asia – World Bank (EurasiaNet)
EurasiaNet [4/22/2024 4:14 PM, Brawley Benson, 57.6K, Neutral]
China’s fiscal woes are likely to drag on economies across the Caucasus and Central Asia over the next two years, the World Bank is forecasting.

The Bank’s economic update for 2024-25 says the entire area spanning Europe and Central Asia faces “multiple headwinds,” including China’s “lackluster recovery” and “moderating” commodity prices. “With heightened geopolitical risks and substantial policy uncertainty, investment growth … could weaken further, especially if progress in advancing structural reforms remains sluggish,” according to the Bank.

In the Caucasus, Azerbaijan is set to see a slight uptick in growth during 2024-25, thanks to increasing European demand for its energy exports. The Bank notes that Georgia and Armenia had been among the region’s strongest performers in recent years, but are now facing a decline in economic performance.

“Growth is set to ease in Armenia and Georgia reflecting heightened geopolitical risks, moderating exports, and the fading boost to growth from the large inflows of migrants and capital from Russia,” the report states. “Growth in Azerbaijan is likely to be stronger as the downturn in the oil industry eases, oil revenues continue to support investment, and amid progress on structural reforms to diversify the economy.”

A slowing economy has potentially significant implications for Georgia, which is set to hold parliamentary elections in October. At present, the ruling Georgian Dream coalition is widely expected to retain power, but a sputtering economy could focus attention on policies that, critics contend, are undermining the country’s chances of joining the European Union.

A 2022 poll showed that a majority of Georgian respondents favor EU membership, seeing it as a vehicle for strong economic growth. However, Georgian Dream policies, including the recent re-introduction of legislation that has the potential to curtail basic rights, threaten to derail the country’s EU bid.

Asked whether an economic downturn could shake things up ahead of the election, Alex Melikishvili, a country risk expert for the Caucasus and Central Asia, was doubtful. “In the run up to the elections, the ruling Georgian Dream will unveil a slew of generous government spending to curry favor with the electorate and to safeguard political survival,” he said. “The Georgian government is positioned quite well for this, as Georgia’s sovereign reserves are at [a] record level with [the] central bank recently even buying gold for the first time in post-Soviet history of Georgia.”

The World Bank report predicts varying results in Central Asia: it forecasts big drops in Kyrgyz and Tajik growth rates, and marginal increases for Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The Bank did not have sufficient data to predict Turkmenistan’s economic prospects. Central Asia’s poorest states are highly vulnerable to geopolitical factors relating to Russia; a downturn in Russia, for example, can have considerable impact on labor migration, a major source of income for many Kyrgyz and Tajik families. Other significant risks include rising food costs and global warming.

Signs of economic pitfalls are already emerging across the region. In Kyrgyzstan, for instance, Russia’s war in Ukraine has disrupted supply chains and raised the price of imports; in the Caucasus, Russians who fled conscription at home in 2022 and hurriedly resettled in cities like Tbilisi and Yerevan are now starting to move on to other countries, taking their savings with them.

Even better-off states in the region have reason to worry about the near future. In Kazakhstan’s case, the Bank report says that revitalizing economic growth will require a reduction of the government’s role in the private sector, alongside “strengthening human capital and policies to support decarbonization.”

Melikishvili, the risk analyst, told Eurasianet that the World Bank’s projections are not necessarily the best metrics to predict trade trends. “China-EU relations, the sanctions environment, the situation in the Red Sea and, more broadly speaking, the growing Iran-Israel conflict in the Middle East are more important factors to consider,” he said.

The World Bank report dwells at length on China’s struggles, but makes only a couple of fleeting references to the turbulent situation in the Middle East and to Red Sea piracy.

China has been sending confusing signals to international markets in recent months, at times appearing on the cusp of an economic crisis and, at others, outperforming expectations. Some experts believe China is using command-style tactics to solve strategic economic problems, deploying large sums of state funds to produce near-term results without addressing structural flaws. Such an approach, they add, can cover up problems for a while, but not solve them.

Central Asian nations will surely be watching for signals coming from Beijing. Since 2022, countries in the region have revived interest in the development of an East-West trade route known as the Middle Corridor. Such diversification can hedge against troubles with the Chinese or Russian economies, which Central Asian nations have historically been dependent on. But even so, poor economic developments in Beijing can send shockwaves rippling across the route all the way to Europe.

“Lower growth in major trading partners,” like China (and Russia), poses a substantial “external” risk for both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, the Bank says.
Indo-Pacific
‘Discomfort May Increase’: Asia’s Heat Wave Scorches Hundreds of Millions (New York Times)
New York Times [4/22/2024 4:14 PM, Saif Hasnat and Mike Ives, 831K, Negative]
Hundreds of millions of people in South and Southeast Asia were suffering on Monday from a punishing heat wave that has forced schools to close, disrupted agriculture, and raised the risk of heat strokes and other health complications.

The weather across the region in April is generally hot, and comes before Asia’s annual summer monsoon, which dumps rain on parched soil. But this April’s temperatures have so far been unusually high.

In Bangladesh, where schools and universities are closed this week, temperatures in some areas have soared above 107 degrees Fahrenheit, or 42 degrees Celsius. Those numbers don’t quite capture how extreme humidity makes the heat feel even worse.

“Due to increasing moisture incursion, the discomfort may increase” over the next 72 hours, the Bangladesh Meteorological Department said in a notice on Monday. In Dhaka, the capital, the humidity was 73 percent, and many areas in the country have experienced daily power outages.

The heat wave could lead to more cases of certain diseases, including cholera and diarrhea, said Be-Nazir Ahmed, a public health expert in Bangladesh and a former director of the national Directorate General of Health Services.

Mr. Ahmed said that people should ideally try to work earlier in the morning and later at night, when temperatures are lower. But that is easier said than done in a country where many people work outdoors.

Nur-e-Alam, who pulls a rickshaw by hand in Dhaka’s Mogbazar area, said he had scaled back to five to seven hours a day, down from eight to 10, because of the heat. His earnings have taken a hit. He expected to make 500 to 600 takas, or about $5, on Monday, about half his usual wage.

“I haven’t experienced heat like this before,” Mr. Alam said. “Every year gets hotter, but this year is extreme.”

The heat wave poses similar challenges in neighboring India, where extreme temperatures have strained power grids, forced school closures, and threatened the production of wheat and other crops. Temperatures in some areas did not dip below 108 degrees Fahrenheit last weekend. The national meteorological department said on Sunday that it expected heat wave conditions in some states for another five days.

The heat has collided with the start of India’s six-week general election, in which nearly a billion people are eligible to vote. The election authorities are working to provide water on voting days, and some political parties are bringing water and cooling devices to campaign rallies.

Extreme heat also has a political dimension in Myanmar, where the ruling military junta cited soaring temperatures last week as justification for moving Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the country’s ousted civilian leader, from prison to an undisclosed location. Many people in Myanmar believe that generals are moving her for other reasons but using the heat — the capital recently hit 114.8 degrees Fahrenheit — as a pretext.

Asia’s heat wave isn’t happening in a meteorological vacuum. Last year was Earth’s warmest by far in a century and a half. And the region is in the middle of an El Niño cycle, a climate phenomenon that tends to create warm, dry conditions in Asia.

Asia’s summer monsoon will bring relief, but it’s still weeks away. In Thailand on Monday, the national forecast called for “hot to very hot weather.” It put the chances of rain in Bangkok, the capital, at zero percent.
Twitter
Afghanistan
UN Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett
@SR_Afghanistan
[4/22/2024 4:55 AM, 38.8K followers, 38 retweets, 105 likes]
I welcome the release of Siddiqullah Afghan and urge the Taliban also to immediately release Fahim Azimi who has been detained for 6 months. Individuals should not be punished for advocating for the right to education. See our press release here #Afghanistan #EducationForAll https://twitter.com/UN_SPExperts/status/1782324768546447824

Jahanzeb Wesa
@Jahanzi12947158
[4/22/2024 2:39 PM, 2.5K followers, 2 retweets]
In a statement, UN experts have demanded the immediate release of Ahmad Fahim Azimi, a human rights activist and defender of girls education, from the Taliban prison. He is more than seven months in prison. #LetAfghanGirlsLearn #FreeFahimAzimi

Jahanzeb Wesa
@Jahanzi12947158
[4/22/2024 12:48 PM, 2.5K followers, 1 retweet, 2 likes]
Waheeda Amiri, one of these activists, has criticized the negative labels assigned to women protesting for asylum in foreign countries. In a recent video, Amiri detailed the daily challenges she faces living in the U.S. https://amu.tv/93007/

Shaharzad Akbar
@ShaharzadAkbar [4/22/2024 10:03 AM, 175.1K followers, 6 retweets, 26 likes]
The male only delegations meeting Taliban, just this week: @Refugees, Kids OR Charity from the UK, the Chinese Embassy delegation. This is not a good look for any of you, stop complying with Taliban’s gender aparthied.

Yalda Hakim
@SkyYaldaHakim
[4/22/2024 5:27 PM, 218.9K followers, 32 retweets, 90 likes]
“Many are still left behind”. Former interpreter for the British in Afghanistan @MHottak tells me of his colleagues still there. He says that the “majority” of them are “still waiting” for visas, including those who served alongside the British.
Pakistan
Prime Minister’s Office, Pakistan
@PakPMO
[4/22/2024 10:22 AM, 3.7M followers, 28 retweets, 167 likes]
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif meets with Iranian President H.E. Dr. Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi on 22 April, 2024.

Prime Minister’s Office, Pakistan
@PakPMO
[4/22/2024 10:21 AM, 3.7M followers, 24 retweets, 115 likes]
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif today met with Iranian President H.E. Dr. Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi in Islamabad. Ministers and senior officials from both sides were present in the meeting. The two leaders discussed the entire range of bilateral relations and exchanged views on important regional and global developments. Underscoring the rich history of relations between Pakistan and Iran, the two leaders reaffirmed commitment to expand wide-ranging bilateral cooperation, particularly in the areas of trade, energy, connectivity, culture and people-to-people contacts. Both sides agreed to increase the volume of bilateral trade to 10 billions U.S. Dollars in next five years. They also agreed to cooperate in developing joint approaches to confront common challenges including the threat of terrorism. President Raisi and the Prime Minister expressed strong and unequivocal condemnation of the indiscriminate use of force by Israeli occupation authorities in Gaza for over seven months and reiterated the call for international efforts to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, lifting of the siege and humanitarian relief to the people of Gaza. The Prime Minister lauded the Iranian leadership, especially Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, for Iran’s unequivocal and principled support for the Kashmiri people and their legitimate rights.

The President of Pakistan
@PresOfPakistan
[4/22/2024 11:50 AM, 733.9K followers, 111 retweets, 288 likes]
Pakistan and Iran have reiterated the resolve to further broaden mutually beneficial cooperation in various areas of common interest. Both sides underscored the need for operationalizing bilateral trade mechanisms to boost the volume of trade up to $10 billion.
India
Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
[4/22/2024 11:04 PM, 97.4M followers, 1.6K retweets, 7.5K likes]
This is encouraging to see! Our Government is focussing on research, learning and innovation in a big way. In the coming times, this emphasis will deepen even further, thus benefitting our Yuva Shakti. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/nunzioquacquarelli_qswur-highereducation-nep2020-activity-7186414752133214208-m-sy?utm_source=combined_share_message&utm_medium=member_ios

Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
[4/22/2024 11:51 AM, 97.4M followers, 5K retweets, 32K likes]
Attended the Civil Investiture Ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan where the Padma Awards were conferred. India is proud of all the recipients, who have excelled in diverse fields and brought a positive change in the lives of crores of people.

Narendra Modi
@narendramodi
[4/22/2024 3:10 AM, 97.4M followers, 5.3K retweets, 22K likes]
On Earth Day, we reaffirm our commitment to nurture nature so that our planet can have a better future. https://twitter.com/i/status/1782306072683786298

Dr. S. Jaishankar
@DrSJaishankar
[4/22/2024 12:39 PM, 3.1M followers, 132 retweets, 1.2K likes]
Attended the Padma Awards 2024 at Civil Investiture Ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan this evening. Congratulate the recipients for their distinguished contribution to the nation. Applaud PM @narendramodi’s recognition of their extraordinary efforts in service of the motherland.

Brahma Chellaney
@Chellaney
[4/22/2024 9:37 AM, 263.3K followers, 177 retweets, 784 likes]
India has long provided generous aid to the Maldives. With the pro-China party of President Muizzu cementing its grip on power by sweeping parliamentary elections, India needs to maintain stable ties with the Maldives but shun unilateral concessions. In times of intense need, the Maldives has always depended on next-door India, not on China, which is located far away. Given the Maldives’ deepening internal problems, including a dire debt crisis, Muizzu cannot do without India. But as long as his pro-China policy persists, he cannot expect debt relief from India. India recently removed export restrictions to aid the Maldives’ construction sector. The Maldives needs to ensure that Indian-supplied building materials are not diverted to Chinese-run projects.
NSB
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh
@BDMOFA
[4/22/2024 9:24 AM, 35.6K followers, 11 retweets, 36 likes]
Deputy Foreign Minister of Kyrgyzstan H.E. Avazbek Atakhanov paid courtesy call on HFM today. HFM thanked Kyrgyz President for his congratulatory message to HPM for re-election. They discussed trade, agricultural & educational cooperation, regional & global issues.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh
@BDMOFA
[4/22/2024 9:19 AM, 35.6K followers, 3 retweets, 19 likes]
1st FOC between Bangladesh & Kyrgyzstan was held today at Dhaka. FS & Deputy Foreign Minister of Kyrgyzstan led their respective sides in the FOC. All possible areas of bilateral engagements: political, trade, educational cooperation & candidatures in international fora etc. were discussed.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh
@BDMOFA
[4/22/2024 9:14 AM, 35.6K followers, 4 retweets, 35 likes]
Assistant US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia Brendan Lynch called on Foreign Secretary Amb Masud Bin Momen today. They discussed various aspects of Bangladesh-US trade relations and ways to enhance cooperation between two countries.

Awami League
@albd1971
[4/22/2024 10:10 AM, 637.2K followers, 38 retweets, 75 likes]
Prime Minister #SheikhHasina today stressed the need for expending money used in the war to protect the world, placing six proposals in facing the adverse impact of the #climatechange to build a beautiful world for future generation. https://bssnews.net/news-flash/184980 #NAPExpo2024

Awami League
@albd1971
[4/22/2024 5:51 AM, 637.2K followers, 33 retweets, 107 likes]
#AwamiLeague General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader termed #BNP as a #communalforce, #kingpin of corruption and money laundering and urged all to resist them. “BNP is the main obstacle to the country’s overall progress”- he said. https://bssnews.net/news-flash/184577

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maldives
@MoFAmv
[4/22/2024 9:38 AM, 53.7K followers, 11 retweets, 34 likes]
Secretary, Economic and Development Cooperation Dr. Hussain Niyaaz leads the Maldives delegation to the 80th Session of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) Press Release | https://t.ly/N8V87

Sabria Chowdhury Balland
@sabriaballand
[4/22/2024 7:00 AM, 5.2K followers, 4 retweets, 16 likes]
The #Maldives has successfully carried out the #IndiaOut movement. Now, it has rightfully sanctioned #ApartheidIsrael & banned its goods. On the other hand, the government of #Bangladesh hands over the country’s sovereignty to India & buys billions of dollars of spyware from “Israel” while it commits genocide on innocent Palestinians. The difference between the two nations’ policies is telling.

MFA SriLanka
@MFA_SriLanka
[4/22/2024 11:58 PM, 38.1K followers, 3 retweets, 7 likes]
Visit of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Sri Lanka, 24 April 2024 #DiplomacyLk #lka https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GL0cimSXgAE9s3m?format=jpg&name=large
Central Asia
MFA Kazakhstan
@MFA_KZ
[4/22/2024 12:29 PM, 50.9K followers, 4 retweets, 8 likes]
On the sidelines of the 80th session of ESCAP, Kazakh Foreign Minister also held talks with Fatima Rabab, UN High Representative for LLS. The two sides discussed preparations for the third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries. #MFA #Kazakhstan #Thailand #ESCAP

MFA Kazakhstan
@MFA_KZ
[4/22/2024 12:08 PM, 50.9K followers, 5 retweets, 13 likes]
Within the framework of the 80th session of ESCAP, Foreign Minister Nurtleu held talks with Armida Alisjahbana, the UN Deputy Secretary General – Executive Secretary of ESCAP. #MFA #Kazakhstan #Thailand #ESCAP

MFA Kazakhstan
@MFA_KZ
[4/22/2024 11:57 AM, 50.9K followers, 9 retweets, 13 likes]
Kazakhstan Participates in the 80th Session of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific https://gov.kz/memleket/entities/mfa/press/news/details/756185?lang=en #MFA #Kazakhstan #Thailand #BANGKOK

Asel Doolotkeldieva
@ADoolotkeldieva
[4/22/2024 12:31 PM, 14K followers, 9 retweets, 24 likes]
Parents in Kazakhstan are pre-occupied that their children, serving prison terms in Russia, might be forcefully recruited for the war against Ukraine. Some of these adult children were cut off from communication for months now https://rus.azattyq.org/a/32903643.html

Asel Doolotkeldieva
@ADoolotkeldieva
[4/22/2024 8:29 AM, 14K followers, 13 retweets, 49 likes]
Given disastrous floods in Kazakhstan, price for wheat might go up concerning the entire region of Central Asia and beyond.

Mihra Rittmann
@MihraRittmann
[4/22/2024 7:16 AM, 4.5K followers, 15 retweets, 19 likes]
Today #Uzbekistan’s Supreme Court considers appeal in case of 22 defendants, including Dauletmurat Tazhimuratov, prosecuted in connection w/ July 2022 protests in #Karakalpakstan. @hrw has called for Tazhimuratov’s release (see - https://hrw.org/news/2023/06/07/uzbekistan-should-free-imprisoned-lawyer)

Joanna Lillis
@joannalillis
[4/22/2024 6:59 AM, 28.9K followers, 4 retweets, 28 likes]
Z-list Russian celebrity gets VIP treatment at Bishimbayev trial in #Kazakhstan, while praising her host country as set to become "the most progressive country in the former CIS". Quite the show, this trial is https://tengrinews.kz/kazakhstan_news/kseniya-sobchak-priehala-na-sud-bishimbaeva-533068/

Joanna Lillis
@joannalillis
[4/22/2024 5:48 AM, 28.9K followers, 6 retweets, 4 likes]
Supreme Court reviewing cases of defendants in first mass trial over violence in #Karakalpakstan in 2022. https://tmhelsinki.org/article/4225c037-d6bb-4b0f-8603-a75eecfcc08f?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0x17NvJX9kGcQ_u16zKvByM28WcTUKWr4Ja3NNogAJ4joKalrUgheospE_aem_AfEkkxemCc3TJ3en1vWXOXtEfdKmPk7sakI6ParMJWbt5ZMN00Fj8Ra4Qf9-OAFXkYn4vQTfAaAZwwkMcPl-Nzuj Background in my piece from the trial for @TheEconomist https://www.economist.com/asia/2023/02/09/squashing-dissidents-in-uzbekistan

Javlon Vakhabov
@JavlonVakhabov
[4/22/2024 3:05 AM, 5.9K followers, 4 retweets, 11 likes]
Uzbekistan’s Population Surpasses 37 Million According to the latest data from the Statistics Agency under the President, the country’s population exceeded the milestone mark on April 22, 2024. With over 18.6 million males and more than 18.34 million females, the nation’s growth continues steadily. Real-time data from civil registration authorities shows an increase of nearly 500 people since the milestone moment at 3:24 AM. In 2023 alone, Uzbekistan saw a population increase of 774,900 people, marking a significant 2.2% growth. More here: https://gazeta.uz/ru/2024/04/22/population/

Navbahor Imamova
@Navbahor
[4/23/2024 3:09 AM, 23K followers, 2 likes]
2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Uzbekistan: "Although the government took some credible steps to identify and punish some officials who may have committed human rights abuses, weak rule of law and a lack of transparency allowed human rights abuses to continue." https://state.gov/reports/2023-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/uzbekistan/

Navbahor Imamova
@Navbahor
[4/23/2024 3:11 AM, 23K followers]
2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Kyrgyz Republic: "While the government took steps to investigate and prosecute or punish officials known to have committed human rights abuses, official impunity remained a problem."

{End of Report}
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